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March 13, 2008

NEWS: Adored Award

Academic Achievement Center staff have been working to learn how an award presented to them by the Student Senate ended up at the Salvation Army. (See original posting here.)

Roz Bethke, professor of reading for the Academic Achievement Center, said she's been talking to staff and has come up with a partial explanation.

Using the dates noted on the award, staffers discovered that in the late 1990s the AAC had set up a free reading shelf for students. The intent was to allow students to take a book and leave a book.

"It was set up on a donation system," Bethke said.

The Student Senate took notice of the effort and presented the Reading program with an award.

Bethke said the AAC proudly displayed the plaque on the shelf with the books.

The shelf stood near the Student Desk, which was located on the second floor of the Commons building. When the Student Center opened in 2000, the Student Desk subsequently relocated to the first floor of the new building.

"Eventually the book cases, the books, and the plaque disappeared. Maybe the shelves just ran out of books--we don't know."

Yet, the mystery of how the award ended up at the Salvation Army thrift store remains.

Nevertheless, Bethke said the staff looks forward to the return of the award where they will -- once again -- display it proudly.